Ali Carter’s dismissal of his Ronnie O’Sullivan grudge and the Rocket’s warm handshake before their first-round Crucible matchup indicate that their differences may have been reconciled. In 2018, off the back of years of O’Sullivan domination whenever the pair locked horns in World Snooker Championship finals and other competitions, tensions boiled over between the duo when the duo barged shoulders in Sheffield.
This lit a spark in a rivalry that then transcended the baize. In 2024, when both met in the final of the Masters, Carter accused his rival of “snotting” on the floor, with O’Sullivan telling the 45-year-old to “get a life” while describing him as a “nightmare.” The war of words bubbled, and in 2025, a fateful draw has pitted them together in the first round of the worlds.
Many expected fireworks in a match that also marked O’Sullivan’s return to the big time after a prolonged absence. But Carter was swift to issue a coy two-word response when queried about the prospect of playing O’Sullivan, and now, a telling handshake before play commenced perhaps indicates that they have let bygones be bygones.
Before the draw took place, the prospect of qualifier Carter facing off against his long-time foe, who had not been seen on a professional table since a Championship League outburst in January, was tantalising, and The Captain was asked his thoughts on the matter.
“No comment,” uttered Carter when queried about a potential clash with O’Sullivan. The draw duly took place and pitted the two foes against each other. Much of the narrative leading up to their clash predicted a butting of heads. However, when both entered the hallowed grounds of the Crucible on Wednesday, their opening exchange signalled that animosity had left the building.
Seated next to one another ahead of a 2:30pm start, fans watched on in shock as O’Sullivan offered a sincere handshake to his opponent after he had earned the right to break.
This differs from the fist-bump that the seven-time world champion typically gives his adversaries, and former world title holder Stephen Hendry was quick to address the niceties on commentary duty.
“Yeah, one of the opening exchanges has already happened. They actually shook hands at the chair, not the normal fist bump that Ronnie gives,” pointed out Hendry. “It was actually quite a warm handshake, and that’s good to see. We want to see a classic match at the table, and it has all the ingredients of being so.”
Comments made by O’Sullivan to the BBC before the clash got going hinted that this renewal between himself and Carter would not be so controversial, and it seems he was telling the truth.
“It was probably just heat of the moment stuff at the time,” the 49-year-old admitted, speaking about the terse interactions both he and Carter have exchanged in the past.
“I’ve always said that I wished I wouldn’t have said what I said but I can’t take it back. It’s kind of out in the open. Neither of us really think much about it.”
With a past of hostility appeased, both O’Sullivan and Carter shifted their focus to their game as first-round action commenced, with the latter looking to cause an upset over the Rocket.
Carter started the session with an efficient potting display, taking the first frame before being pegged back by a ruthless Ronnie, who cleared up the colours to level things at 1-1. O’Sullivan took the third, and a century break followed to give The Rocket a 3-1 advantage before the interval.
The Captain claimed the next frame, but O’Sullivan took a 4-2 lead after snatching the sixth from under his opponent’s nose. That lead soon became 5-2 after an 85 break from the perennial champion, and a drubbing soon looked to be on the cards, before a century from Carter and a shrewd claiming of frame nine meant that scores stand at 5-4 before play restarts on Wednesday.
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